Pam Smith joined Northern Illinois University in January 1994and is the KPMG Professor of Accountancy at NIU. She earned her undergraduate degree in Accountancy from Ferris State University, her M.B.A. from the University of Texas at Dallas, and her Ph.D. from the University of North Texas. Her teaching and research interests focus on financial accounting and reporting related to business combinations, valuation, consolidation, derivatives and hedging, and business ethics.
Over the period 1996-2000, Pam traveled abroad several times to teach in an international exchange program between NIU and the Helsinki School of Economics and Business Administration. In 1997-1998, she completed a teaching appointment in the MBA program at the University of Texas-Austin. Pam teaches Advanced Financial Accounting at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and Introductory Financial Accounting Executive M.B.A. programs. Pam delivers professional training on various technical issues such as derivatives, hedging, valuation, and has taught in NIU's CPA Review program.
Pam received the Illinois CPA Society's 2008 Outstanding Educator Award. In 2009, 2008 and 2007, she received the NIU Executive MBA's Golden Apple Award, and in 2006, she received their Teaching Excellence Award. In 2002, 2001, 2000, and 1999, Pam received the NIU Accountancy Department's Outstanding Educator of the Year Award and was the NIU College of Business nominee for the university's Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching in 2002, 2001, and 2000. Pam served as faculty advisor to accountancy students, and was the catalyst behind the creation of an honor pledge and code of conduct for accountancy majors, both of which were developed and written by NIU students with her guidance. She is one of three authors of the NIU College of Business Building Ethical Leaders Handbook and one of the developers of the college's BELIEF initiative (Building Ethical Leaders using an Integrated Ethics Framework). Both the handbook and BELIEF Initiative have been integrated across the college's curriculum. This initiative is praised by members of outside academic and professional communities, as well as by national experts in the compliance field.
Pam maintains a practical perspective to teaching and research by drawing from her years in public accounting and training as an audit manager at Touche Ross. To date, she has published over 30 articles in academic and practitioner journals, and stays current on issues by utilizing sabbaticals. Most recently (fall 2007), she studied fair value measurements, business valuations, and acquisitions. Previously (fall 2000), her research in accounting for derivatives and hedging led to her being asked to serve as an expert witness in the Enron trial.
Active in the community, Pam and her husband are licensed handlers of their certified therapy dog, Shelby. Shelby provides emotional therapy to residents in nursing homes and children with special needs. Since 2003 she has served on the Executive Board of the DeKalb County Quilters' Guild, which provides various services to the community. Pam and her husband are avid dancers, cutting the rug to everything from ballroom to polka, line dances to salsa, swing to two-step.